Napstablook loved his home in Waterfall—don't get him wrong. It held the perfect atmosphere for his snail farm, despite the lack of customers and employees. His neighbor, Undyne, was also somewhat tolerable, despite the fact that she intimidated him quite a bit.

But, by far, Napstablook's favorite place to relax and unwind was the Ruins. Not many monsters lived there, especially since the entrance/exit was nothing but an enormous locked door—nothing that stopped Napstablook, of course.

Although the ghost was very much alone in Waterfall (not by choice), that didn't seem to stop the frequent voices from various monsters passing by every now and then. Napstablook even swore he would hear them outside his house at times, whispering...probably gossiping about him, or even mocking his sensitivity...

...Then again, he always had a tendency to catastrophize things, but who could blame him?

At least, in the Ruins, hardly anyone knew he was even there. The very few monsters that did know simply let him be and didn't bother him, which he respected greatly.

One day in particular, Napstablook was lying on the middle of the floor, unintentionally blocking the path leading to the adjoining room. He saw no point in moving, though, as it didn't seem to bother the other monsters at all. As he stared at the ceiling, lost in thought and drowning himself in the peaceful silence of the Ruins, he almost flinched when hearing soft, delicate footsteps slowly make their way towards him.

Napstablook immediately shut his eyes out of reflex, pretending to be asleep. After all, no one would bother a sleeping ghost, right?

"Zzzzzzzz...zzzzzzzzz..." Napstablook snored faintly, hoping it would further convince the unknown visitor of his snoozing state. (Are they gone yet?) He discreetly opened one eye, but promptly shut it when he had inadvertently stared straight at the visitor."Uh...zzzzzzz..."

A quiet, child-like giggle was heard, and Napstablook felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment. He blew his cover, didn't he? Giving up and opening his eyes, the ghost peered up and blinked at a young human child innocently peering right back down at him.

"Excuse me," their voice was calm and friendly, "may I please pass through?"

Napstablook trembled for a bit, at the brink of tears. He had just met this person, and already, he assumed they were gravely annoyed at him for blocking their way. He wanted to apologize, but his misery forced him into silence and left him frozen.

The child showed no sign of aggravation, however. Instead, they smiled brightly, waiting patiently for the ghost's response.

"Heh..." Napstablook tried to smile back, but he could no longer hold back his tears. The human's patience didn't seem to stop him from thinking they hated him.

The child's smile faltered a bit, but returned once more as they decided to cheer up the melancholy ghost. "Do you know what a ghost eats for supper? Spook-etti!" They giggled at their little joke.

Napstablook's tears didn't cease, but the child could see the corners of his mouth slowly twist upward into a smile. "Heh heh..." he quietly chuckled, starting to feel just a little better. He wanted to tell a joke back, but wasn't quite sure what to do until he gazed down at the puddle of tears below him. "L...Let me try..." he whispered as his tears soared above his head to form a top hat. "I call it 'dapper blook'...do you like it..."

The child beamed and nodded happily. "I think you look great."

Napstablook was stunned by their genuine kindness. "Oh gee..." He stared at the floor, his mind wandering off yet again. "I usually come to the ruins because there's nobody around...but today I met somebody nice..." He whispered, mostly to himself. Acknowledging that the human was still patiently waiting for him to move, he snapped out of it. "Oh...I'm rambling again...I'll get out of your way..." With that, he quickly phased out of sight, too shy to stick around any longer.

As Napstablook flew into another room to lie down and continue feeling like garbage, he couldn't help but think about how friendly the human was to him. For once, someone didn't judge him for being so sensitive, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of joy.

(Have I actually made a...friend?)

His happy thoughts were almost immediately shrouded. Why would anyone want to be friends with him? It seemed as if everyone couldn't wait to get away from him...

This human seemed to be different, though. At least, Napstablook hoped they were different, for he hadn't felt happy in a really long time. He shut his eyes and hoped that, somehow, he would be able see them again to thank them properly.